Booking Terms & Cancellation Policy

01 — The summary

Most of what's on this page can be summarized in five lines:

• Your cancellation window matches the length of your trip, capped at 5 days. A 1-day tour → 24-hour window. A 3-day tour → 3-day window. A 5-day or longer trip → 5-day window.
• Cancel before the window closes and your deposit is refunded in full — no processing fee deducted.
• Cancel inside the window and you lose only your deposit (15% for short trips, 30% for 5+ day trips). The balance is always refunded.
• If the supplier cancels — for any reason, including weather — you get a full refund or a free reschedule. Your choice.
• You'll never be charged more than 30% of the trip value, even if you cancel the day before departure. This is significantly more generous than Viator, GetYourGuide, Intrepid, or G Adventures.
• If an experience isn't delivered as described, tell us as soon as you can — and within 72 hours of the problem happening. We act on it immediately, assess it fairly, and if a refund is due we pay you directly. This 72-hour window is the standard used by major booking platforms. See Section 11.

The rest of this page is the same rules, written more precisely.

02 — Your agreement with Orchao

When you book any experience, transfer, ticket, or accommodation through orchao.com (the "Platform"), you enter into two agreements at once:

1. A booking agreement with us — Brother Tours Co., Ltd. (trading as Orchao), a company registered in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (the "Platform Agreement"). This covers your use of the website, payment processing, customer support, and cancellation handling.
2. A service agreement with the supplier — the licensed Lao guide, driver, boat captain, hotel, or transport operator who actually delivers the experience (the "Service Agreement"). This covers the experience itself: the route, the timing, the equipment, the included meals, and any operational specifics.

Orchao acts as the booking agent. We don't operate tours, drive vehicles, captain boats, or run hotels. We connect you to the people who do, handle the payment, and stand between you and the supplier if anything goes wrong.

What this means in practice: Orchao is responsible for the booking, the platform, and the money. The supplier is responsible for the experience itself. Most of the time you'll never need to think about the difference — but if something goes wrong, knowing who's responsible for what matters.

03 — How bookings work

1. You select an experience, transfer, ticket, or accommodation on the Platform.
2. You enter your details and a valid payment method.
3. We charge a deposit immediately to confirm the booking: 15% for trips of 1–4 days, or 30% for trips of 5 days or longer. (For specific products — train tickets, hotel reservations, group bookings — full payment may be required at booking. This is always shown clearly before you pay.)
4. You receive a booking confirmation by email and (if you provide a number) WhatsApp, including your supplier's name, photo, and direct contact.
5. The supplier contacts you the day before to confirm pickup time, meeting point, and any final details.
6. You pay the balance on the day — by card on the Platform, or by local payment method directly to the supplier (LOCA Pay, BCEL One, EZyKip, U-Money, or cash in LAK or USD).

04 — Cancellation policy

The principle: your cancellation window equals the length of the trip you booked, capped at a maximum of 5 days. Cancel before the window closes and your deposit is fully refunded. Cancel after, and you lose only the deposit — the balance is always refunded.

The cancellation matrix

"Start time" means the local Lao time at which the experience begins, as shown on your booking confirmation. For multi-day journeys, "start" means the start of day one.

Worked examples

Example 1 — One-day tour, $80.

You book a day tour in Luang Prabang for $80. You pay a 15% deposit ($12) at booking. You cancel 30 hours before start → full $12 refund. You cancel 12 hours before start → $12 deposit forfeited, no further charge.

Example 2 — Three-day Vientiane to Vang Vieng tour, $600.

You book a 3-day tour for $600. You pay a 15% deposit ($90) at booking. You cancel 4 days before start → full $90 refund. You cancel 2 days before start → $90 deposit forfeited, no further charge.

Example 3 — Seven-day private guide hire across Laos, $2,000.

You book a 7-day journey for $2,000. Because the trip is 5+ days, you pay a 30% deposit ($600) at booking. You cancel 6 days before start → full $600 refund. You cancel 3 days before start → $600 deposit forfeited, $1,400 balance refunded (partial refund of 70% of total trip value).

Why this structure

The window scales with the trip length because the operational commitment scales too. A day tour can be reassigned. A week-long private journey involves hotels booked along the route, a vehicle blocked for the full duration, and a guide whose schedule is committed. Longer notice protects the supplier from total loss; the 5-day cap protects you from being locked in indefinitely.

For comparison, the global standard for multi-day tours (Intrepid Travel, G Adventures, Audley) is 100% non-refundable inside 30 days of departure. Our 30% cap is significantly more traveler-friendly. We've designed it this way because we know plans change, and forcing a traveler to forfeit thousands of dollars feels wrong even when it's industry standard.

Supplier-specific terms may apply

Individual suppliers may set custom cancellation policies that differ from these defaults — typically for premium products, large groups, or experiences with high upfront supplier costs (chartered boats, dedicated chef services, specialist equipment hire). Custom policies are always disclosed on the booking page before you pay, and they govern your booking once you confirm. Where a supplier policy conflicts with our default, the supplier policy applies — but it will never be hidden.

Train tickets, bus, and minivan reservations

Transport tickets are subject to the issuing carrier's terms (Lao-China Railway, BMC Sengsavang, etc.), not Orchao's standard policy. In most cases:

• Train tickets are non-refundable within 24 hours of departure, and partially refundable before that, per the carrier's rules.
• Minivan and bus tickets follow the same pattern, set by the operator.
• Our service fee (where applicable) is refundable only if the booking is cancelled more than 7 days before the departure date.

How to cancel

You can cancel any booking by:

• Clicking the cancellation link in your booking confirmation email
• Logging into your Orchao account and selecting "Cancel" on the relevant booking
• Messaging us on WhatsApp at +856 20 7895 9598 (fastest, especially close to the window cutoff)
• Emailing hello@orchao.com

The cancellation is effective from the moment we receive your request, in Lao time. If you contact us 1 minute before the window closes, you're inside the free-cancellation window.

05 — Payments & card processing

All prices are inclusive

Every price you see on Orchao is the price you pay. Card processing fees, payment gateway charges, and applicable Lao taxes are already included in the displayed price. No surcharges are added at checkout.

Save 2–3% with local payment

If you pay using a Lao mobile wallet — LOCA Pay, BCEL One, EZyKip, or U-Money — you receive a 2–3% discount automatically applied at checkout. These methods are cheaper for us to process, and we pass the saving on to you. This discount is shown clearly on the payment screen.

Accepted payment methods

• International cards — Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, UnionPay
• Local Lao mobile payments — LOCA Pay, BCEL One, EZyKip, U-Money
• Direct bank transfer — for bookings over USD 500, by arrangement
• Cash in LAK or USD — to the supplier on the day, for the balance only

The deposit

When you book, we charge a deposit to your selected payment method to confirm the reservation. The deposit amount depends on the length of your trip:

• 1–4 day experiences: 15% deposit at booking
• 5+ day experiences: 30% deposit at booking

This is a real charge, not a temporary hold. The deposit is refundable in full if you cancel outside the applicable cancellation window, and forfeited if you cancel within it. No processing or transaction fee is deducted from a refunded deposit.

The balance

The remaining balance (85% for short trips, 70% for 5+ day trips) is paid on or before the day the experience starts. You can pay:

• By card through the Platform (your original payment method on file, or a new one)
• By local mobile wallet (LOCA Pay, BCEL One, EZyKip, U-Money) directly to the supplier
• In cash (LAK or USD) directly to the supplier

For specific products — including train tickets, hotel reservations, and any group bookings of 6+ travelers — full payment is required at the time of booking. This is always shown clearly before you pay.

For multi-day trips, the supplier will agree the balance payment timing with you in advance — typically on the morning of day one, before the journey begins.

06 — Refunds

When a refund is due — either because you cancelled outside the window, the supplier cancelled, or our compliance team has assessed a service failure (see Section 11) — we process it the same way you paid:

• Card payments: refunded to the original card. Most refunds land within 3–10 business days, depending on your bank.
• Local mobile wallet payments: refunded to the originating wallet, usually within 24 hours.
• Bank transfers: refunded by bank transfer, typically within 5 business days.

We don't offer Orchao credit or gift cards in place of refunds unless you ask for one. Refunds go back the way they came.

When a refund is due under this policy — you cancelled outside the window, the supplier cancelled, or our compliance team approved a refund for a service failure — you receive the full amount due, with no processing or transaction fee deducted from it. The cost of payment processing is not passed on to you. This is the standard across the major booking platforms, and we hold to it.

Refunds for service failures are assessed case by case by our compliance team, based on the gap between what was sold and what was delivered. A refund may be full or partial. Where a refund is approved against a supplier, we issue it to you directly and recover the amount from the supplier — you are never asked to wait for the supplier to pay before you are refunded.

07 — Changes by you or the supplier

Changes by you

You can modify your booking — changing the date, adding travelers, or switching to a different experience — at any time before the cancellation window applies. Message us on WhatsApp or use the change function on your booking confirmation. Free changes are unlimited; the price difference (if any) is settled with the change.

Changes requested inside the cancellation window are treated as a cancellation followed by a new booking, and the cancellation policy applies.

Changes by the supplier

Suppliers may occasionally need to adjust an experience — a different meeting point because of road closures, a slight timing change, a vehicle swap. Minor changes (a meeting point within walking distance of the original, a timing shift under 30 minutes, an equivalent vehicle) don't entitle you to a refund.

Material changes — a meeting point in a different town, a route that skips a major attraction, a date or time change you can't accommodate — entitle you to a full refund or a free reschedule. Your choice.

Cancellations by the supplier

If a supplier cancels your booking for any reason — operational, health, weather, force majeure — you receive a full refund or a free reschedule. We notify you by WhatsApp and email within two hours of being informed by the supplier.

08 — Weather, force majeure & safety

Laos has a rainy season (May–October) and weather affects some experiences more than others. Our rules:

• If weather makes the experience unsafe or impossible (river too high for slow boats, road washouts, electrical storms during outdoor activities), the supplier may cancel or reschedule. You receive a full refund or free reschedule.
• If weather is poor but the experience can still operate safely (rain during a city walking tour, overcast skies on a mountain trek), the experience proceeds as planned. The cancellation policy applies normally.
• If you decide not to go because of weather conditions the supplier deems acceptable, the normal cancellation policy applies.

For force majeure events — natural disaster, government restrictions, civil unrest, pandemic-related restrictions, airport closure — full refunds or free rescheduling are always offered, regardless of timing.

09 — Your conduct during the experience

Most of what we'd write here goes without saying. Respect your guide, respect local culture, follow safety instructions, don't be intoxicated to the point of endangerment.

Suppliers reserve the right to refuse service or terminate an experience early if a traveler behaves in a way that endangers themselves, other travelers, the supplier, or third parties. In such cases, no refund is due, and any costs of returning travelers to safety (transport, accommodation) are the traveler's responsibility.

This is rare. We've included it because the alternative — no rules at all — protects nobody.

10 — Liability & insurance

To the extent permitted by Lao law:

• Orchao's liability is limited to the price of the booking. We act as a booking platform and are not liable for losses caused by the supplier's performance, weather, third-party services, or your own conduct.
• Suppliers are responsible for the experience they deliver, including the operational safety, licensing, vehicle condition, and insurance of their service. All licensed Lao tour guides on the Platform carry the insurance required by Lao law.
• You are responsible for your own travel insurance, including medical, evacuation, trip cancellation, and personal effects cover. We strongly recommend travel insurance for any trip to Laos. Many travelers are surprised to learn their domestic insurance doesn't cover them abroad.

Nothing in this section limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any liability that cannot be excluded under applicable Lao law.

11 — Complaints & service failures

This section sets out exactly what happens if an experience is not delivered as described, or as the supplier committed to provide it. It is written to be fast, fair, and clear for everyone.

Report it immediately — through us

If something goes wrong — your guide doesn't arrive, the vehicle is not what was booked, the experience materially differs from the listing, or the service is not delivered to the standard sold — contact Orchao customer support straight away, while it is happening if you safely can. WhatsApp is the fastest channel: we respond within 15 minutes during operating hours (7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Lao time, daily).

Reporting it to us immediately matters for two reasons. First, it gives us the chance to fix the problem in real time — dispatch a replacement guide or vehicle, correct the logistics, or rescue the experience before it's lost. Second, it is what allows us to act on a refund. Complaints raised to the supplier alone, or raised only after you get home, are far harder to substantiate and resolve.

The 72-hour claim window

To be eligible for a refund on the grounds of a service failure, your complaint must reach Orchao customer support within 72 hours of the problem occurring — that is, within 72 hours of the moment the service failure happens. If something goes wrong on day one of a trip, raise it as soon as you reasonably can; don't wait until you get home. The point is to report it while it can still be verified and, where possible, fixed.

If you genuinely cannot reach us — no phone signal, mid-trek, a medical situation — the 72-hour clock pauses for that period and resumes as soon as you are reasonably able to make contact. The deadline is about reporting promptly when you can, not punishing travelers who physically cannot.

Complaints raised more than 72 hours after the problem occurred (excluding any period you genuinely could not reach us) cannot be guaranteed a refund. After that point, the affected service is generally treated as delivered and accepted, and payouts to the supplier proceed. We may still review a late complaint at our discretion, but a refund cannot be assured once the window has closed and evidence has gone. This 72-hour window matches the standard used by the major booking platforms.

The one exception. The 72-hour deadline does not apply to serious matters — a safety incident, injury, fraud, or being charged more than the agreed price. These can be raised as soon as you become aware of them. Everything else — quality, logistics, the experience not matching the listing — is subject to the 72-hour window.

How we assess and resolve

Once a complaint is open, our compliance team:

• Acts immediately, or within 24 hours. We aim to resolve a live problem on the spot. Where that isn't possible, we complete our assessment and decision within 24 hours of the case opening.
• Contacts the supplier in parallel and asks for their account of what happened, so both sides are heard.
• Reviews the gap between what was sold (the listing, the booking confirmation, the supplier's stated commitments) and what was actually delivered, using your report, the supplier's response, photos, messages, and booking records.
• Decides the outcome — a real-time fix, a free reschedule, a partial refund, or a full refund — proportionate to the failure. Refunds for service failures are decided case by case; there is no fixed formula, because no two failures are alike.

Where our compliance team determines that a refund is due because the supplier did not deliver the experience as structured and sold, Orchao issues that refund to you and recovers the amount from the supplier directly. You are refunded by Orchao; you do not deal with the supplier over money, and you are not made to wait for the supplier.

What counts as a service failure

Examples that would normally support a refund claim: the supplier did not show up; the experience was significantly shorter or different from the listing; a promised inclusion (meal, transport, entry, equipment) was not provided; the vehicle or boat was materially different from what was booked; the guide could not communicate in the language booked; or the supplier charged more than the agreed price.

Examples that would not normally support a refund: you changed your mind; weather the supplier reasonably deemed acceptable; minor changes within the bounds described in Section 07; or an outcome outside the supplier's control that they handled reasonably.

12 — Disputes & chargebacks

If something goes wrong, the fastest path to resolution is messaging us on WhatsApp — see Section 11 for the full complaints process. We respond within 15 minutes during operating hours (7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Lao time, daily). For most disputes, we resolve directly — refund, reschedule, partial credit, supplier escalation.

If you raise a card chargeback before contacting us, we'll respond to your bank with our records of the booking, the cancellation policy you agreed to, and any communications. We always prefer to resolve issues directly — and our complaints process is built to do exactly that, fast. Chargebacks take 30–90 days to process and cost everyone money.

13 — How to reach us

WhatsApp (fastest): +856 20 7895 9598 — daily, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Lao time Email: hello@orchao.com Office: Brother Tours Co., Ltd. (trading as Orchao), Vientiane, Lao PDR Registration: Reg. No. [BT-REG-NUMBER], Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce

Reading these terms for the first time? The short version: book confidently, cancel up to 24 hours before for a full refund of your deposit, and message us on WhatsApp if anything is unclear. We answer in 15 minutes.

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These Booking Terms are governed by the laws of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Any disputes that cannot be resolved through direct communication will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Vientiane.

Brother Tours Co., Ltd. (trading as Orchao) · Reg. No. [BT-REG-NUMBER] · Vientiane, Lao PDR

© 2026 Orchao, a division of Brother Tours Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.